The flower Lilli symbolizes humanity. It is mostly associated with funerals. On such occasions, the flower stands for the peace that the departed soul is imbued with after death. And hence, we assume, director Prasobh Vijayan, in his directorial debut, has such a valid reason to name his movie and the titular character as Lilli.
After watching the trailers and teasers, one may find it dark. And yes, Prasobh had the ploy of keeping it raw, dark and untampered. Lilli is a heavily pregnant woman who happens to be abducted by three guys. The trio are on a hunt of an orphan girl, the whereabouts of whom only Lilli knows. The film opens with a tired Lilli who is all set for delivery. By interval, we see a very weak Lilli who is not even able to move a step forward. And by the end, we see a strong and sturdy Lilli who is all set to lead the life ahead. Like every mother, it's the newborn who drives her with hope of survival. In short, the movie is the fight for the life of the newborn.
Samyukta Menon, in and as Lilli, delivers a punch role in this female-oriented movie. While we saw a meaty appearance of Samyukta in Theevandi (her recently released movie), in Lilli, she carries the movie throughout. She perfectly balances the grey shades and emotional quotient. Be it the negative scenes or the action scenes, Samyukta enacts them all with ease and presents it as the selling point of the movie.
Aaryan Krishna Menon as Ajith, Kannan Nayar as Sali, and Sajin Cherukayil as Philip play pivotal roles. But it is Dhanesh Anand as Rajesh who needs a special mention after Samyukta's character. There is a particular scene where he says, “Pattik Ittu Koduthu” (Given it to the dogs) and viewers totally feel justified of Lilli's reaction.
While the first half may seem a bit dramatic, Lilli slowly gathers steam, culminating in a crescendo of emotions. While the climax ends abruptly, it fails to convince the transformation of Lilli at places.
It was amusing to see the title credits rolling along with a miniature animated series. Music, background score and art departments deserve applauds. Sushin Shyam's scores along with Sreeraj Raveendran's cinematography make Lilli an honest yet brutal and gruesome attempt.
From lust, love to betrayal, director and script writer Prasobh Vijayan touches all facets of pro-life. Drenched in violence, this one film has the potential to leave you furious.
